Artistes are left in a quandary after the Thrissur City Corporation decided to cancel pulikali, after making troupes register for Onam event.
Published Aug 14, 2024 | 12:00 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 14, 2024 | 12:00 PM
The Pulikkali performance in Thrissur takes place on the fourth Onam day and is a major highlight of the festival.
Meticulously painted bellies of varying sizes bounce to the beats of chenda, udukku, and takil when hundreds of tigers, leopards, and panthers take over the road around the Thekkinkadu Maidan, the seat of Vadakkumnathan, in Thrissur on Chathayam, the fourth Onam every year.
The pulikali — or tiger dance — signifies the culmination of Onam festivities, Kerala’s harvest festival. It also denotes the year-long wait to welcome Mahabali, the benevolent asura king, back to his land, and subjects.
Thousands throng the Swaraj Round, the road that circumambulates the Vadakkumnatha Temple. The beats of the percussion instruments reach a frenzied crescendo as tigers dance, hunt, and escape from hunters.
The heartbeats of those participating and watching, too, keep pace with the traditional drums. Fingers pointing at the sky make circles with the roaring Dravidian rhythm — or pulikottu — that fills the air.
The electrifying atmosphere is infectious, making many in the crowd watching the pulikali try to join the prancing and stalking ‘tigers’ in the city.
For the dancers, pulikali is a year-long preparation, adding fat to their truncal region, specifically the belly. A lean, ripped physique is not their cup of tea, since the day of the fourth Onam adds significantly to their revenue.
This year, however, 30 June abruptly ended the preparations of pulikali troupes, known as sanghams. The series of landslides in Wayanad that numbed the state has hit them with the state government calling off official Onam celebrations.
The ‘tigers’ — and ‘tigresses’ — are stranded mid-way, directionless, still and worried. Women had burst into the once-male domain of Pulikali in 2016.
Hindus in Kerala skip Onam celebrations the year on which they lose a dear one to the inevitable.
The Pulikkali performance in Thrissur takes place on the fourth Onam day and is a major highlight of the festival.
On 8 August, the Kerala Tourism Department announced the cancellation of this year’s state-level Onam celebrations.
Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas further stated that the decision was made to focus on the search for missing persons and the rehabilitation of survivors.
Traditionally, the government hosts a week-long Onam festival in the capital Thiruvananthapuram. The government cancelled all district and office-level events.
A day after the Tourism Department announced the cancellation of the state’s Onam celebrations, Thrissur Corporation Mayor MK Varghese said that Pulikali — slated for 18 September — will not be held this Onam due to the Wayanad disaster.
The corporation’s decision also applied to the Kummatti festivities. This year, eleven teams registered for Pulikali. Varghese also announced that the ₹5 lakh allocated for Pulikali will go to the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund.
The decision, however, did not go down well with the Pulikali sanghams.
The Pulikali organising committee demanded the Corporation repeal the cancellation of the grand event. It argued that the decision was unilateral and that the state government only intended to cancel the Onam week celebrations, not Pulikali specifically.
Vineethkumar AV, secretary of the Kanattukara Desam Pulikali Committee, said the city corporation misinterpreted the government’s decision.
“Nine teams have already spent ₹4 lakh each, and not holding Pulikali will result in significant losses,” he told South First.
Abhin Abhinaya, a trainer and Pulikali coordinator has been associated with the event for the past 25 years.
“Pulikali is a major part of the celebrations. We faced a similar crisis during the 2019 Kerala floods. We had arranged everything, including tableaux but suddenly everything was cancelled,” he said.
“The major issue is that we plan our tableaux according to specific themes or relevant incidents. So if one float is not used properly, the money spent on it is lost,” he told South First.
In 2023, Abhinaya’s team had a tableau themed on the man-wildlife conflict in Kerala, focusing on ‘Arikomban,’ Idukki’s shop-raiding wild tusker that was captured and translocated to Tamil Nadu.
“This year, we have started work on the tableau. We cannot use them next year. My team has already started the artwork with the advance payments from the Pulikali committee. For the past one-and-a-half months, we have worked hard to set this up. We can’t return the money or borrow more,” he added.
His team, ‘Abhinaya’ from Kunnamkulam in Thrissur, comprises 30 artistes.
“If there are no Onam celebrations, we cannot survive. The 30 families solely depend on this event. Many of the artistes earn something only during this season. We have no other source of income,” he said.
Vineethkumar said a petition has been submitted to the corporation, seeking a reversal of its decision.
“The corporation had initially asked us to register for the Onam event, and we followed their guidelines. Our registration was completed on 5 August, just days after the Wayanad landslide. Nine teams had signed up for the event,” he said.
Vineethkumar said a corporation councillor informed them of the cancellation.
“Each team has spent lakhs for the event. Many folk artistes rely on this event for their livelihood. While we are fully supportive of aiding Wayanad and are willing to contribute. We urge the authorities to consider our situation as well,” he requested.
Besides folk artistes, Onam is a vital source of income for many, including small merchants. Sunil Kumar, President of the S.S. Pulikali Sanghom in Thrissur, expressed his concerns to South First.
“Unfortunately, such crucial decisions are being made unilaterally,” Sunil Kumar, President of the SS Pulikali Sanghom in Thrissur., told South First.
“Last month, the authorities asked us to register for Onam celebrations by 5 August. We made advance payments to musicians by pawning two bangles belonging to a member’s wife,” he said, adding that his team had already spent ₹2.5 lakh.
“The corporation had agreed to grant us ₹3,12,000, but now they’re redirecting these funds to the CMDRF. While we support contributing to the CMDRF, it’s unacceptable to make decisions that jeopardize the livelihoods of so many people,” he added.
The pulikali sanghams are not the only ones affected by the cancellation of Onam celebrations.
The Kummatti committee expressed concerns over the authorities’ decision to cancel the official Onam celebrations.
Kummattikali.
Kummattikali is a traditional vibrant mask dance, performed mainly in Thrissur and Palakkad districts, and parts of south Malabar.
During the Onam festival, performers don colorful masks and costumes, visiting homes to gather small offerings and provide entertainment.
Ajayan K, a Kummatti artiste, told South First that the art form is an integral part of the Onam tradition.
“Despite the cancellation, the artistes are committed to their cultural heritage and are prepared to contribute a portion of their revenue to the Wayanad relief fund,” he said.
Responding to the controversies, Mayor Varghese told South First, that a final decision would be made by Thursday, 15 August. I am now in Thiruvananthapuram but I will decide on the matter once I return to Thrissur,” he said.
(Edited by Majnu Babu)
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